Allegations against Petro's relatives In March 2023, revelations emerged from Nicolás Petro Burgos's ex-wife, the president's eldest son, concerning alleged unreported receipts of money that could constitute illicit enrichment. President Petro published a letter asking prosecutor
Francisco Barbosa to investigate his son "to the fullest extent" and also his brother Juan Fernando Petro, who has been mentioned in an alleged bribery case to receive benefits from the Total Peace law. In July 2023, Nicolás Petro Burgos was arrested along with his ex-wife Day Vásquez for the crimes of money laundering and illicit enrichment. Petro Burgos declared to the Prosecutor's Office that irregular money had indeed entered Gustavo Petro's presidential campaign.
Laura Sarabia case The
Laura Sarabia case was a political scandal in Colombia that occurred during Petro's government. In this case, several people were investigated, including then Chief of Staff
Laura Sarabia, for alleged abuse of authority in supposedly ordering a
polygraph test to be administered to her son Marelbys Meza's nanny. Security personnel from the presidential house are likewise under investigation for allegedly having carried out illegal wiretaps on Meza and another woman. The conduct and statements of
Armando Benedetti are also under investigation, from which insinuations arose of irregular financing in Petro's presidential campaign. The case began in May 2023 when the magazine
Semana published on its cover the photograph of Marelbys Meza, a person previously unknown to public opinion who identified herself as the nanny of the son of the then
Chief of Staff,
Laura Sarabia. In that article, Meza stated that she had been subjected to a
polygraph test by the security services of the
Casa de Nariño to answer for the loss of around seven thousand dollars in cash that had apparently been taken from a suitcase located at Laura Sarabia's residence and which, according to Sarabia, was part of the travel expenses she received for her trips abroad. Weeks earlier, Sarabia had mentioned the theft case in an interview with the newspaper El Tiempo. Meza failed the polygraph test; however, it is a voluntary test and cannot be used as judicial evidence. What caused the greatest controversy, though, was the fact that state security services were used to administer a test to a person employed outside those services. After these events, the
Attorney General's Office published an investigation on 1 June 2023 as a result of a complaint filed by Marelbys Meza, former nanny of then Chief of Staff
Laura Sarabia, and then Colombian ambassador to Venezuela
Armando Benedetti, in which it said it had discovered that Meza's cell phone had been illegally wiretapped since 30 January of that year. Meza had filed the complaint after accusing Sarabia of using a
polygraph test against her at the
Casa de Nariño, after Meza had allegedly committed a theft of money at Sarabia's residence. As a result of the scandal, Petro requested the resignation of both Sarabia and Benedetti on 3 June, in order, as he declared, "so that from the power implied by those posts there can be not even the suspicion that the investigation processes will be altered". all cases in which Gustavo Petro has said that neither he nor the national government are involved. Colonel Óscar Dávila, head of an office in the
DIAN building, part of the security apparatus of the President of the Republic and involved in the case, participated in a Prosecutor's Office inspection of the office on 7 June 2023. Dávila was found dead two days later, on 9 June, under strange circumstances. His autopsy concluded that Dávila died by suicide, although what may have motivated him to take his own life is still unknown. The test was voluntary and had no evidentiary value in legal proceedings, although Meza later said she had been pressured into signing the authorization document for the test and that she "felt kidnapped" during it. Meza filed a complaint against Sarabia that became public on 27 May 2023. That day, an interview with Meza by the magazine
Semana was published, in which she said she felt distressed and threatened by Sarabia and by the way she said she had been treated by the authorities, including that a police officer on the scene had said the amount stolen was $150 million
COP ($33 thousand USD at the time).
Wiretapping report On 1 June 2023, the
Attorney General's Office published an investigation carried out after Meza had filed her complaint, in which it said that Meza and another woman named Fabiola had been
wiretapped (intercepted by telephone) by the
Dijín for at least 10 days. To do this, the Dijín had allegedly falsified a
judicial police report that presented the nannies as members of the
Clan del Golfo, under the aliases
La cocinera for Meza, and
La madrina for Fabiola. During the presentation of the report, charges against members of the Dijín were also announced, and both Sarabia and then Colombian ambassador to Venezuela
Armando Benedetti were summoned for questioning.
Caracol Radio reported that a judicial analyst said a prosecutor had later received authorization to permit the interceptions on 26 January of that year, with interception of both phones beginning on the 30th of that same month, the same day the polygraph test was allegedly conducted. Seventy-two hours later, that analyst had allegedly requested that the interceptions be stopped, asserting that the way they were being used did not correspond to the reasons given for initiating them. The magazine
Cambio reported that an intelligence analyst, ten days after 26 January, had realized that the interceptions of both numbers contained records of daily activities corresponding to a woman living in southern
Bogotá who had nothing to do with the Clan del Golfo, and that woman turned out to be Meza.
Reactions Meza's complaint After learning of the complaint about the use of the polygraph, prior to the public release of the Prosecutor's Office investigation into the case, the national government commented on it, asserting that all procedures established by law had been followed, including the filing of a complaint against Meza by Sarabia the day before the polygraph was used, and denying that any abuse of power had occurred. President
Gustavo Petro described the matter as a "lie" on his
Twitter account.
Federico Gutiérrez, former candidate in the
2022 Colombian presidential election, wrote a column in Semana expressing concern about what he described as "a crisis of Colombian institutions", voicing fear over the possibility that "Petro has wiretapped us [the opposition]". Senator
Clara López became involved in a controversy after a statement on the scandal in which, while trying to show why she believed the case was being exaggerated, she referred to Meza as a "servant". López later apologized for the remarks. Thierry Ways, columnist for
El Tiempo, wrote an opinion article expressing concern over what this case would imply, arguing that "if even a private nanny, who is not a recognized figure or the subject of an investigation, can be wiretapped, who is safe from being wiretapped in Colombia?", in response to López's statements.
Death of Óscar Dávila Gustavo Petro commented on the death of Óscar Dávila, asserting that he had committed suicide. Petro commented again a few days later, this time regarding the Prosecutor's Office autopsy of Dávila concluding that he had indeed died by suicide, asserting that the report "disproved the insinuations that it was a murder", that "communications were not intercepted, nor were human rights violated, and there is nothing to hide". He added that he personally was not "implicated in any way in the matter". Miguel Ángel del Río, Dávila's lawyer, commented after publication of the autopsy. Del Río asserted that this was a case of "suicide of opportunity", that is, according to Del Río, Dávila had been pressured by an external agent into committing suicide, with Del Río describing that "external agent" as "an alleged Prosecutor's Office official".
María Fernanda Cabal, senator from the same party, made similar statements, additionally linking the scandal to a controversy during the 2022 presidential election in which two people associated with the
Historic Pact (Petro's coalition) visited the prison
La Picota.
Allegations of political motivation The scandal has been alleged of being a
smokescreen to divert attention from
Salvatore Mancuso's accusations before the
Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) against numerous political, military and business figures participating in the framework of the
Colombian armed conflict, specifically developments in the 1990s and 2000s, allegedly aiming to "destabilize Petro's government". Catalina Rojano of the newspaper
El Heraldo, in an opinion column, criticized the massive coverage of the scandal in Colombian media in comparison with Mancuso's statements. Rojano said verbatim: Different political figures from more than 20 countries, such as
Rafael Correa,
Noam Chomsky,
Jeremy Corbyn,
Ada Colau,
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and former Colombian president
Ernesto Samper, signed a letter in which, although the case was not directly mentioned, it was asserted that "the power of the country's regulatory and judicial agencies is being used to halt [the Petro government's] reforms, intimidate its supporters and defame it internationally", also mentioning Attorney General Francisco Barbosa, saying that he, יחד with the
Inspector General Margarita Cabello Blanco, "are actively [targeting] members of the Historic Pact with investigations that could result in suspension or dismissal".
Semanario Voz, newspaper of the
Colombian Communist Party, described the scandal as an "attempt to destabilize Petro's government", comparing media coverage of the scandal with the way
Nazi propaganda worked, stating verbatim:
Corruption scandal in the UNGRD , after the resignation of
Olmedo López. The corruption scandal in the
National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), which came to light in 2024, involves a network of bribery and malpractice in the awarding of contracts, seriously affecting the management of public resources during Gustavo Petro's government. This case has been described as one of the largest of the government. The scandal initially came to light around the acquisition and management of tanker trucks in
La Guajira intended to distribute drinking water in this region, which faces a serious water crisis. The UNGRD bought these
tanker trucks for a price that, according to complaints, was significantly inflated, reaching overcosts of up to double their real value. It is estimated that 725 million pesos were paid for each vehicle, although their cost should have been around 350 million. The scandal revolves not only around the overpricing but also alleged acts of corruption, such as document forgery and the payment of bribes. Key officials, such as former UNGRD director
Olmedo López and his deputy,
Sneyder Pinilla, were accused of participating in corrupt arrangements. They are accused of awarding contracts directly in exchange for political support in Congress. It has also been alleged that part of the money that was supposed to improve water distribution ended up in the hands of congress members, which has escalated the investigation toward senior government and legislative officials. In the midst of the process, the UNGRD has opened new tenders in an attempt to regain the confidence of the insurance sector and ensure that the tanker trucks finally fulfill their function.
Residence of Carlos Ramón González in Nicaragua In August 2025, it was revealed that Carlos Ramón González, former director of the DAPRE and former intelligence chief, close to President Petro and currently under investigation for corruption linked to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), had allegedly resided in
Managua since November 2024. Leaked documents show that the Colombian embassy in Nicaragua requested the renewal of his residency on 21 May 2025, the same day the Prosecutor's Office charged him with bribery and embezzlement. The Foreign Ministry and President Petro denied having authorized this procedure or having formal knowledge of it, and announced an internal disciplinary investigation. Petro also officially requested that the Nicaraguan government hand González over if it was confirmed that he was a resident, and stated that "I do not protect them either", during a Council of Ministers meeting.
Campaign financing The alleged irregular financing of the campaign of
Gustavo Petro, president of Colombia, was a matter of controversy for several months, generating investigations and accusations.
Context The scandal arose when
Nicolás Petro, son of President Gustavo Petro, was accused of receiving money from businesspeople during the
2022 presidential campaign, money that, according to the accusations, was not officially reported in the campaign's accounts. Nicolás Petro was detained at the end of July 2023 along with his ex-wife
Day Vásquez on charges of money laundering and illicit enrichment, within the framework of an investigation that sought to clarify whether these illicit funds had been used to finance the campaign. Colombia's
National Electoral Council (CNE) brought charges against Gustavo Petro's presidential campaign for alleged irregularities in its financing during the 2022 elections. These allegations were related to the possible receipt of undeclared resources or resources from sources prohibited by Colombian electoral law, which would violate political campaign financing rules.
Key allegations •
Money of illicit origin: According to Day Vásquez's statements, Nicolás Petro allegedly received money from drug traffickers and businesspeople, including former drug trafficker
Samuel Santander Lopesierra (alias the "Marlboro Man") and businessman Alfonso "el Turco" Hilsaca. She alleged that the money was not used in full for Gustavo Petro's campaign, but that part of these funds were used by Nicolás Petro for personal benefit. •
Alleged irregular financing: The accusations center on the possible lack of transparency in Petro's campaign financing. Although Nicolás Petro admitted having received money, he stated that those resources did not go to his father's campaign, but that he used them for other personal purposes. •
CNE: The investigation arises from complaints alleging that Petro's campaign may have received money from contracts awarded by public entities, which would be illegal. Specifically, it has been mentioned that resources from the government of President
Iván Duque, which was in office during that period, may have been used, raising the possibility that public funds were diverted for electoral purposes. It has also been questioned whether all campaign income and expenses were properly reported, as required by law.
Petro's response President Petro has denied any knowledge of or participation in these events. He stated that he was not aware of his son's actions and that he would not allow his government to be stained by acts of corruption. He also emphasized that his campaign was managed transparently and that he would support the investigations to clarify the facts. After the CNE opened proceedings against Petro, he accused the body of the "beginning of a coup d'etat", since it was violating presidential immunity and what it was seeking was "to bring him down". ==Notes==